Issue 17-10, March 5, 2017

 

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1. MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR: CALL FOR 2017 DPS PRIZE NOMINATIONS
2. NOMINATIONS FOR NASA PLANETARY SCIENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (PAC) DUE MARCH 31, 2017
3. APPLICATIONS BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE 2017 JOHN N. BAHCALL PUBLIC POLICY FELLOWSHIP
4. 2017B NASA IRTF CALL FOR PROPOSALS
5. ROADMAPS TO OCEAN WORLDS (ROW) TOWNHALL AT LPSC
6. SUMMER SCHOOL “IMPACTS AND THEIR ROLE IN THE EVOLUTION OF LIFE”
7. UPCOMING WORKSHOPS AND MEETINGS
8. JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES

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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR: CALL FOR 2017 DPS PRIZE NOMINATIONS

 

Every year the DPS recognizes exceptional achievements in our field and 

nominations for this year’s prizes will be accepted until April 1, 2017. 

Detailed descriptions of each of the prizes and the criteria for nominees for 

each can be found at https://dps.aas.org/prizes [1]. The nomination form and 

instructions can also be retrieved from https://dps.aas.org/prizes/nomination-form [2].

Please contact jwbarnes@uidaho.edu [3] or the prize subcommittee (dpsprize@aas.org [4])

with questions.  Being recognized by our colleagues for exceptional work is a 

great honor and inspires outstanding scientific research. Please take the time 

to recognize your colleagues for their exceptional work.

 

Anyone except current DPS Committee members may submit a nomination. 

A completed nomination will be retained and considered by the Prize Subcommittee 

for three years, or as long as the nominee is eligible, whichever is less. Past nominees 

may be re-nominated after the expiration of a prior nomination. For specific details, 

see the URL noted above.

 

Lucy McFadden

DPS Chair

 

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NOMINATIONS FOR NASA PLANETARY SCIENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(PAC) DUE MARCH 31, 2017

 

Dear Colleagues:

 

NASA’s Planetary Science Division (PSD) is announcing the establishment 

of the Planetary Science Advisory Committee (PAC), a new committee 

replacing the Planetary Science Subcommittee (PSS) of the NASA Advisory

Council, Science Committee (NAC SC). The PAC has been constituted under

the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and will advise the Planetary 

Science Division of the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD).  On 

December 2, 2016, NASA provided notice of their establishment via Federal 

Register Notice 16-083. 

 

The Planetary Science Advisory Committee (PAC) 

(https://science.nasa.gov/nac/science-advisory-committees/pac [5] ) supports 

the advisory needs of the Planetary Science Division (PSD), the Science 

Mission Directorate (SMD) and other mission directorates as required, and 

NASA Administrator.  The scope of the PAC includes all aspects of NASA’s 

planetary science program,. In addition to scientific research, the scope also 

encompasses considerations of the development of near-term enabling 

technologies, systems, and computing and information management 

capabilities, as well as developments with the potential to provide long-term 

improvements in future mission operational systems.  Responsibility for 

biological planetary protection is outside the purview of the PAC.

 

NASA’s PSD is extending the invitation for nominations for service on the 

PAC.  Interested member of the community are invited to review the charter 

and to submit self-nominations for consideration to fill intermittent vacancies 

on the committees.  

 

To be considered by NASA, self-nomination packages from interested U.S. 

citizens must be sent to NASA as an email and must include the name of the 

Planetary Science Advisory Committee (PAC).  The deadline for NASA 

receipt of all public nominations is March 31, 2017.

 

The following information is required to be included as part of each 

self-nomination package:  

(1) a cover email including the name and full mailing and email addresses of nominee; 

(2) a professional resume (one-page maximum, included as an attachment); and, 

(3) a professional biography (one-page maximum; included as an attachment).  

 

Please submit the nomination as a single package containing the cover email 

and both required attachments electronically to the email for the Planetary 

Science Advisory Committee (PAC):  pac-execsec@hq.nasa.gov [6]. All

self-nomination packages must be submitted electronically via email to NASA; 

paper-based documents sent through postal mail (hard-copies) will not be accepted.  

 

Self-nomination packages that do not include the three (3) mandatory elements

listed above will not receive further consideration by NASA.

 

The following qualifications/experience are highly desirable in nominees, and 

should be clearly presented in their self-nomination packages:

 

• At least 10 years post-Ph.D. research experience including publications in the 

scientific field of the committee for which they are nominated, or comparable 

experience;

• Leadership in scientific and/or education and public outreach fields as 

evidenced by award of prizes, invitation to national and international meetings as 

speaker, organizer of scientific meetings/workshops, or comparable experience;

• Participation in NASA programs either as member of NASA mission science team, 

Research and Analysis program, membership on an advisory/working group or a 

review panel, or comparable experience;

• Good knowledge of NASA programs in the scientific field of the committee for 

which they are applying, including the latest NASA Science Plan (available as a 

link from http://science.nasa.gov/about-us/science-strategy/ [7]); and,

• Knowledge of the latest Decadal Survey conducted by the National Academies 

or other relevant advisory reports for the scientific field of the committee.

 

Nominees from any category of organizations or institutions within the U.S. are 

welcome, including, but not limited to, educational, industrial, and not-for-profit 

organizations, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), 

University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), NASA Centers, the Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory (JPL), and other Government agencies.  Nominees need not be presently 

affiliated with any organization or institution.

 

There will also be member vacancies from time to time throughout the year, and 

NASA will consider self-nominations to fill such intermittent vacancies as well.  

Nominees will only be contacted should a vacancy be available and it is judged 

that their area(s) of expertise is appropriate for that specific vacancy.  NASA is 

committed to selecting members to serve on the committee based on their

individual expertise, knowledge, experience, current/past contributions to the 

relevant subject area and overall diversity of the committee.  These appointments 

are non-compensated. These are not full-time positions.  Successful nominees 

will be required to attend meetings of the committee approximately two or three 

times a year, either in person (NASA covers travel-related expenses for this 

non-compensated appointment) or via telecon and/or virtual meeting medium.  

All successful nominees will be required to submit confidential financial disclosure 

forms, and undergo conflict of interest reviews by the NASA Office of the General 

Counsel, before their appointment can be finalized. Once appointed, successful 

nominees will be required to complete FACA training and annual ethics briefings. 

Successful nominees who are not U.S. Government employees will be formally 

appointed as Special Government Employees (SGEs).  

 

James. L. Green

Director, Planetary Science Division

 

Jonathan A. R. Rall

Director, Planetary Science Research and Analysis

 

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APPLICATIONS BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE 2017 JOHN N. BAHCALL 

PUBLIC POLICY FELLOWSHIP

 

If you love writing, giving talks and meeting new people, if you are energetic 

and outgoing, if you have an affection for committee meetings and may be 

interested in a career in science policy, consider applying for the 2017 

Bahcall Public Policy Fellowship. Applications accepted until March 31, 2017.

 

https://aas.org/posts/opportunity/2017/02/applications-being-accepted-2017-john-n-bahcall-public-policy-fellowship [8]

 

Please see the post on the AAS Job Register [9]  and the AAS online application form [10]

for additional details, and please don't hesitate to contact Joel Parriott <joel.parriott@aas.org [11]> with any questions.

 

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2017B NASA IRTF CALL FOR PROPOSALS

 

The due date for the 2017B semester (August 1, 2017 to January 31, 2018) is 

Monday, April 3, 2017. See our online submission form 

 

http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/observing/applicationForms.php [12],

 

which is available for proposal submission from 12:00AM on March 01, 2017 

until 5:00PM on April 03, 2017 HST. Available instruments include: 

(1) SpeX, a 0.7 – 5.3 micron cross-dispersed medium-resolution spectrograph 

(up to R=2,500) and imager; (2) MORIS, a 512x512 pixel Andor CCD camera 

(60"x60" field-of-view) mounted at the side-facing window of the SpeX cryostat 

that can be used simultaneously with SpeX; (3) iSHELL, a 1.1 – 5.3 micron 

cross-dispersed echelle spectrograph (up to R=75,000) and imager. Information

on available facility and visitor instruments and performance can be found at: 

http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/Facility [13].  Exposure time calculators for SpeX and 

iSHELL are available on the respective instrument webpages.

 

Please see  http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/observing/callForProposals.php [14] 

for the full text.

 

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ROADMAPS TO OCEAN WORLDS (ROW) TOWNHALL AT LPSC

 

The Roadmaps to Ocean Worlds (ROW) team was chartered by OPAG to 

identify science objectives for Ocean Worlds and to design a roadmap (or 

roadmaps) to explore these worlds to address the identified science objectives. 

We will be holding a ROW townhall at LPSC (Thursday, March 23, 12-1PM) 

to share our progress and allow for community input. We hope to see you there!

Amanda Hendrix (arh@psi.edu [15])
Terry Hurford (terry.a.hurford@nasa.gov [16])

 

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SUMMER SCHOOL “IMPACTS AND THEIR ROLE IN THE EVOLUTION OF LIFE”

 

Saaremaa, Estonia 

25 July - 3 August

 

This school will give attendees a thorough introduction into impacts,

impactors, and the role of impacts in the evolution of life.

 

Apart from lectures, poster presentations, student-led discussions and

excursions to geologically interesting sites several practical

exercises including search for meteorite fragments, microscopy of

pollen in order to assess the ecological consequences of impacts,

petrographic microscopy of impactites, electrometric and georadar

mapping of impact sites, excavation into the boundary layer between the

ejecta blanket and the glacial till as well as excursions to other

geologically interesting sites are planned. The website for the summer

school can be found under:

 

http://www.nordicastrobiology.net/Impacts2017 [17]

 

Deadline for applications in the 30th April 2017. Please forward this

announcement possibly interested students and early career scientists.

 

Bursaries are available for students and scientists from the

Universities of Tartu, Turku, Tallinn, Vilnius, Porto, Utrecht,

Bordeaux, Iceland, Stockholm and the Open University.

 

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UPCOMING WORKSHOPS AND MEETINGS

 

A) WOMEN IN ASTRONOMY IV: 

     THE MANY FACES OF WOMEN ASTRONOMERS

 

Registration is now open for "Women in Astronomy IV: The Many Faces

of Women  Astronomers (WiA IV),” a conference sponsored by the National

Radio Astronomy  Observatory and the American Astronomical Society (AAS),

with support from  the National Science Foundation. The conference will take

place in Austin, Texas 9 - 11 June 2017, immediately following the 2017 AAS

Summer Meeting. 

 

Through extensive use of workshops, panels, and small group discussions,

WiA  IV will focus on issues that affect a broad spectrum of women in

astronomy.  It will address the challenges specific to women and what

institutions can do  to create welcoming, equitable workplaces. Workshops

and breakout sessions  will be structured with the aim of producing policy

white papers, tool kits,  and resource lists. 

 

The conference website (http://go.nrao.edu/wiaiv [18]) includes: the conference

registration form; the preliminary program; a travel grant application form; 

a hotel reservation form for the conference venue, the JW Marriott; and a 

poster abstract submission form.  

 

Please note the following key conference deadlines. 

 

Travel grant application: 2 April 2017

Early registration: 15 April

Abstract submission: 9 May 

 

Please help spread the word by circulating this announcement to your

departments and networks. Astronomy professionals at all career levels

and in all settings are invited to participate. 

 

Questions can be addressed to wiaiv@nrao.edu [19]. 

 

We look forward to seeing you in Austin in June!

 

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JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES

A) POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE IN GIANT PLANET ATMOSPHERES

Physics and Astronomy Department, University of Leicester

Salary Grade 7 - £32,958 to £38,183 per annum
Full-time open-ended contract subject to external fixed-term funding.

Full Details: goo.gl/DVpnWe [20]

Ref: SEN00830

The Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Leicester wishes 

to appoint a postdoctoral researcher to undertake a programme of original research 

in the field of giant planet atmospheric science, utilising remote sensing data 

from a range of space- and ground-based observatories.  You will join a planetary 

science team addressing the aims of a grant awarded by the European Research 

Council (ERC) to Dr. Leigh Fletcher.  The appointment will initially be for a

period of up to four years.

The “GIANTCLIMES” programme seeks to study the climates of the four giant 

planets over large spans of time, allowing us to investigate cycles of meteorology, 

circulation, and chemical processes shaping the environments on these worlds.  

Inversions of planetary spectra, from the ultraviolet to the microwave, will be used 

to reconstruct these atmospheres in three dimensions to explore their temporal 

variability and the processes coupling different atmospheric regimes. You will 

analyse subsets of data from Juno, Cassini, Spitzer and the James Webb Space 

Telescope (among others), complemented by observations from Earth-based facilities.  

We are therefore particularly interested in candidates with a background in planetary 

atmospheres and spectroscopic modelling techniques, but all applicants with a strong 

background in planetary science are encouraged to apply.

You will be expected to carry out independent and collaborative research for this 

project and to disseminate the results to the international scientific community.  

There will be significant opportunities to collaborate within Leicester’s Planetary 

Science team (whose existing research includes planetary magnetospheres, 

ionospheres, atmospheres and surface science), Earth Observation group, and

with an international team specialising in radiative transfer and spectral inversion 

for planetary atmospheres.

Applications:
In addition to the online application form, applicants are requested to provide:  

[1] a CV and publication list; [2] academic references covering your research 

career to date; [3] a cover letter detailing how your prior experience and future

research aims are commensurate with the broad aims of the programme outlined 

above.  Full details on how to apply can be found here: goo.gl/DVpnWe [20]

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be made to Dr. Leigh Fletcher on leigh.fletcher@le.ac.uk [21] 

The closing date for this post is midnight on 5 April 2017.

 

B) LSST DATA SCIENCE FELLOWSHIP

 

Dear LSST Community,

 

I am pleased to announce that applications are now open for the LSSTC 

Data Science Fellowship Program! The LSSTC DSFP is a supplement to

graduate education in astronomy, intended to teach astronomy graduate 

students essential skills for dealing with big data. Here's a list of some of 

the things LSSTC DSFP students will learn: the basics of managing and 

building code; statistics; machine learning; scalable programming, data

management, image processing, visualization, and communication.

 

Please distribute this announcement widely, and encourage any interested 

students to apply! Prospective students don't need to know anything about 

data science to join, they just need to be excited to learn. The LSSTC DSFP 

is committed to building a culturally diverse student cohort, and strongly 

encourages applications from underrepresented members of the astronomy 

community.

 

To learn more about the program and apply, please visit our website:

http://ciera.northwestern.edu/Education/LSSTC_DSFPOverview.php [22]

The direct link to the application is: https://goo.gl/forms/tQi0L4oYjzXVn7zu1 [23]

 

Application deadline: March 15, 2017

 

Cheers,

Lucianne Walkowicz, on behalf of the LSSTC DSFP Leadership Team

 

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Send submissions to:

Anne Verbiscer, DPS Secretary (dpssec@aas.org [24]) 

 

To unsubscribe visit http://aas.org/unsubscribe [25] or email unsubscribe@aas.org [26].

To change your address email address@aas.org [27]